Travels in India (Tavernier) 107.6

107.6

The Portuguese know of the country and its name, but have not induced the Cafres to reveal more than that their country, called Sabia, is governed by a King, and that they generally spend four months on the road to Sofala. The gold which they bring is excellent, and is in nuggets, like that of Monomotapa; they say that they find it on high mountains, where they only have to excavate the ground for it to the depth of 10 or 12 feet. They also bring an abundance of elephants’ tusks, and say that there are so many elephants in the country that they are to be seen in troops in the fields, and that all the palisades of the fortresses and parks are made of elephants’ tusks; this I have also observed elsewhere. The ordinary food of these Cafres is the flesh of this animal, and four of them, with their assegais, which are a kind of short pike, are able to bring an elephant to the ground and kill it. All the water in their country is very bad, which is the reason why they have swollen legs, and it is a marvel when any one is exempt.